France will launch civil n-coop with India: Sarkozy

NEW DELHI: Even as the Indo-US nuclear deal is making its passage in the US Congress, French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday made clear his country's intention to forge ahead with the civil nuclear cooperation with India which will be sealed in an agreement he is signing with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Paris on Tuesday.

France, the world's leading country in nuclear power which produces 80 per cent of electricity from atomic energy, is ready to offer its latest EPR technology to India under the agreement.

In an e-mail interview ahead of his talks with Singh, Sarkozy said the prospects of cooperation between France and India in the civil nuclear field are "very promising" considering his country's expertise, long tradition of cooperation with New Delhi and an atmosphere of trust.

"This visit holds a special meaning for me... We will launch our civil nuclear cooperation which will become a cornerstone of our partnership," the French President said while talking about the agenda of his bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister in Paris on Tuesday.

India and France initialed the Framework Agreement for Civil Nuclear Cooperation in January but could not sign it pending a waiver from the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group. With the NSG giving its nod, the two leaders will sign the agreement during Singh's visit to Paris.

Prior to their bilateral talks, the two leaders will meet tomorrow in Marseille for India-EU Summit as France is the current chair of the 27-nation European body.